Railway tie and rail fastening



Nov. 20, 1923;, L47506 v .L F. BALME. JR v RAILWAY Tm 'AND RAIL FASTENING Filed-Jan. 1o, 1923 sheets-sheet 1 A TTUR/VEYS New. 20, 15923.

, J. F. BALME; JR

RAILWAY TIE 'AND RAIL FASTENING Filed Jan. lo, i923 s sheets-sheet 2 Nov. 20, 1923. j 1,475,106

Y J. F. BALME, JR

RAILWAY TIE AND RAILFASTENING A TTORNEYS Patented Nov. 2G, 1923.

JOSEPH FRANCIS BALME, JR.,

or Bosrora MASSACHUSETTS.

RAILWAY -TIE AND RAIL FASTENING.

Application filed January 1G, 1923.

T all whom t may conce/m Be it known that I, JOSEPH F. BALME, Jr., a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and lmproved Railway Tie and Rail Fastening, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.' y

The present invention has relation to an improvement in a track supporting means for railways and refers more particularly to an improvement in a railway tie and the means of fastening the rails thereto.

The present invention is designed to replace the present expensive and otherwise unsatisfactory wooden tie whereby to relieve the great drain on the forests, which the constant replacing of decomposed wooden ties demands, and which at the present time are the cause of accidents, loss of life and destruction of property'.4

Some of the principal objects of the present invention are to provide-iirst, a track supporting meansof suflicient strength, elasticity and endurance to render satisfactory service under all traiic conditions; second, a track supporting means which will assure the vmaintenance ofthe proper gage of the rails and the prevention of separation ordisplacement of the rails from the ties; third,

a track supporting means which will effectively insulate the rails from each other; fourth, track supporting means provided with a suiiicient bearing surface to properly transmit the load safely and uniformly to the road bed, and, fifth, a track sup-porting means in which the Vties can be placed, tamped and adjusted with the same tools and facilities nowv employed for the placing of wooden ties.

Furthermore the invention contemplates a track supporting means which is simple in its construction, inexpensive to manufacture and install, and one which is highly efficient in its purpose.

With the above recited and other objects in view, vthe yinvention resides in the novel construction set forth in the following specification, particularly pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it being understood that the ri ht 1s reserved to embodiments" other than tose actually illustrated herein to the ltrally upwardly arched portion 16.

Serial No. 611,786.

full extent indicated by the general meaning of the terms in which the claims are expressed.

In the drawings'- Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a track equipped with a supporting means constructed in accordance with the invention, parts being broken away'and shown in section todisclose the underlying structure.

Fig. y2 is a transverse 'sectional view therethrough taken approximately on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the reinforcing elements removed from the ties.

Fig. 4: is a sectional view therethrough taken approximately on the line 4--4 of FigQS.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side view.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary enlarged detail sectional view taken approximately on the line 6 6 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a similar view taken approximately on thev line 7-7 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 8 is a plan view of a washer for the securing bolts.

Fig.'9 is a sectional view therethrough.

Fig. 10 is an end viewk of one of the securing bolts.

Fig. 11 is a plan view of one of the crossshapedfastener plates employed at the rail joints.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference, the rail supportingy means which constitutes the invention consists of a plurality of ties 10 the configuration of which conforms substantially to the wooden ties now in general use, but which are in the present instance of molded concrete or any other suitable cementitious material. The ties are reinforced by means of a bar of steel, iron or the like 11, which is embedded therein and is of T-beam form having a central vertical web 19., upper transverse flanges 13 and lower transverse flanges 14. rlhe reinforcing beam is provided with horizontal extremities or endsl and a cen- The web and flanges are provided with a plurality of perforations 17 vwhich in addition to reducing the weight of the same allows the concrete or other cementitious material to extend therethrough to givethe proper bond to the structure. rlhe means Vfor fastening or securing the rails tothe ties includes a fastener plate 18 which is sunk in the upper surface of the tie whereby the upper face of the plate and tie will be flush.

The plate is provided with integralV Adepending anchoring sleeves 19 which are eX- teriorly serrated as at 20 and the bores 21 of which are enlarged as at 22 at their lower ends to align with bores 23 in the tie and apertures 24 in the upper reinforcing bar anges 13. The upper face of the fastening plate 18 is provided adjacent its opposite ends with recesses 25 with which the bores 21 of the sleeves communicate. rlhe sides of the ties are provided with recesses or pockets 26 which underlie the lateral upper flanges 13 adjacent the apertures 24. Preferably a cushioning plate 27 underlies the rails R and is formed with openings 28 which align with the recesses 25. Gripping washers 29 having depending tubular bosses 30 which extend through the openings 28 and into the recesses 25 are provided through which the bolt Shanks 31 of the clamping` bolts extend. The washers are provided on their upper faces with radially disposed lock grooves 32, while the bolt heads 38 are formed on their under sides `with radially disposed lock ribs 34 which are adapted to engage the washer to prevent relative rotation therebetween. rI'he ribs 34 on the under side of the bolt heads also serve to give the bolt a greater bearing area on the rail base and compensate for the pitch or inclination of the rail base. `The washers are cut away to provide a shoulder 35 engaging the rail base flange B whereby the washers areA held against rotation. The

lower threaded extremities 3G of the' bolt ythrough the aper-ture 24, the bore 23 'and into the enlarged lower end 22 of the sleeves 19. This eifectually prevents the transmission of electric current from one rail to the other in order that the proper functioning of the signal system may obtain.

n At the points where the ends of adjacent rails meet, a pair of adjacent ties 10 are connected to `each other by a bridgepiece 4() underlying the rail joint and the reinforcing bars of said adjacent connectedties are connected by a bar section 41 embedded in the bridge piece. The upper and lower flanges ofthe bar section 41 are riveted as at 42 tok the upper and lower iianges of the reinforcing bars. Centrally of the bar section 41 a pair of extension plates43 having apertures 44 are riveted to the under sides of the upper flange of said bar section to accommodate the clamping bolts 45 which extend through the cross-shaped fastener plates .46 employed at the rail joints and sank in the upper surface of the bridge piece 40. The opposite ends of the adj arent ties l() which are connected by the bridge piece underlying the rail joint are connected together bya' web piece 4T within which a channel reinforcing beam section is embedded, said section being riveted as at 49 to the upper and lower iiangesof the reinforcing bars 11. The pockets or reses-ses 26 are formed with inclined lower walls having drain channels 50. Yieldable or cushioning plates 27 underlie the rails at their` joint and at all other points where the clamping means is employed.

Vltrom the foregoing 'it will be seen that a simple and inexpensive tie and rail fastening means has been provided which will replace Athe wooden tie and at the same time afford an effective support or bearing for transmitting the load to the road bed or ballast. It will be further observed that an effective means for supporting the meeting ends of the railzhas been provi-ded which eliminates relative movement therebetween as the rolling stock passes thereover and the resultant wear and noise incident thereto when the rail ends become wornv by insufficient support. By providing the reinforcing bars 11 with an upwardly arched central portion, the strain and shock is more eifectually absorbed, while at the same time the liability of cracking the material from which the ties are constructed is minimized.

l claim:

1. A rail fastener comprising in combination with a rail tie having a reinforcing bar embedded therein, a fastener plate having spaced hollow depending anchoring members embedded .in the upperface of the tie, and clamping bolts extended through said anchoring memberand engaging the base flange of the rails and the reinforcing bar. j

2. ln combination, a rail tie constructed of a cementitious material and provided with an apertured T-beam embedded therein and constituting a. reinforcement, and a rail fastener consisting of a fastener plate embedded in the upper face ofthe tie, spaced depending anchoring sleeves on said plate disposed in alignment withI theT-beam apertures, and clamping bolts extending through said sleeves and the apertures with means atthe opposite ends for engagement with the base-flange of the rails and the flangey of the T-beam. f

3. A railway track supportand fastener comprising a plurality of ties constructed of a cementitious material, a reinforcing elementy extending through said ties,` and fastening means engaging the rail base flange and extending through each tie and reinforcing element for securing the rails to the tie.

4. A railway track support and fastener comprising a plurality of ties constructed of a cementitious material, a reinforcing element extending through said ties, and fastening means engaging the rail base flange and extending through each tie and reinforcing element for securing the railsto the tie, said track supporting means having acljacent ties at the rail joint connected by an integral bridge Ypiece consisting of cementitious material and a reinforcing bar section embedded therein and connected respectively with the reinforcing elements of the adjacent ties.

5. A railway tie and fastening of a cementitious material having a metallic reinforcing bar embedded therein, a fasteningl plate provided with depending tubular anchoring members embedded in the upper surface of the tie, clamping bolts extending through the anchoring members and engaging the base of the iiange of the rails and the reinforcing bars, and means for insulating the, said bolts from the reinforcing bars, and the rails from each other, said means including a flanged thimble of insulating material surrounding said bolts and the flange thereof clamped against the said reinforcing bars.

6. A railway tie and fastening'of a ceinentitious material having a metallic reinforcing bar embedded therein, a fastening plate provided with depending tubular anchoring members embedded in the upper surface of the tie, clamping bolts extending through the anchoring members and engag ing the base flange of the rails and the reinforcing bars, and means for insulating the bolts' from the reinforcing bars and the rails from each other, said means including a. flanged thimble of insulating material surrounding said bolts with the flange thereof clamped against said reinforcing bars, said insulating thimble forming a continuation of the tubular anchoring members.

JOSEPH FRANCIS BALlWE, Jn. 

